Dance Off


"Dance Off" is a song by American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring British actor and musician Idris Elba and American recording artist Anderson Paak from their second studio album This Unruly Mess I've Made. The song was officially released on February 25, 2016 as the second single only in United States, Australia, New Zealand and selected countries of Europe.

Background and release

Following the large success of the duo's debut album The Heist, Macklemore revealed on January 15, 2016 with an Instagram post the This Unruly Mess I've Made release. "Dance Off" was released as second single of the album on February 25, 2016, succeeding "Downtown".

Music video

The song's music video was uploaded to Ryan Lewis's YouTube, now known as Macklemore LLC, channel on May 17, 2016. It was directed by Lewis & Jason Koenig.

Critical reception

The song received positive reviews from music critics. Killian Young said that "Dance Off" makes nod to the pillars of hip hop culture: rapping, DJing, tagging, breakdancing and piano groove. David Turner of MTV said that "Dance Off" sounds like rolling into the morgue by the 27th second, when the song says "I grab my ankle and pull it up / And do that thing where I move my butt". Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic commented that the song sounds like the director Vincent Price in "Thriller", and said that Macklemore "frets about the adequacy of what's between his legs. In his world, music does not help you transcend your insecurities—it heightens them.".

Chart performance

In Australia, "Dance Off" entered the Australian Singles Chart at number twenty one on March 7, 2016.

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history